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Nigeria puts oil and gas workers鶹ýӳ safety top of the agenda

 

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Leading figures from the Nigerian government and the country鶹ýӳs oil and gas sector have joined forces in Lagos at a one day seminar organised by the industry鶹ýӳs international skills organisation OPITO, as they look to make the country鶹ýӳs burgeoning energy sector a safer place to work.

More than 70 attendees have heard from speakers including Onyebuchi C Sibeudu, head of safety and environment at the Nigerian government鶹ýӳs Department of Petroleum Resources; Arc Mohammed Dewu from the Petroleum Technology Development Fund; Dr Musa Rabiu from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company; and Amadi Amadi, S & E technical manager, Shell Nigeria.

As part of the event, held at the city鶹ýӳs Eko Suites Hotel, oil and gas training providers looking to become OPITO-approved centres heard how they can train workers in Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (BOSIET) and International Minimum Industry Safety training (IMIST), two of the OPITO standards used by major international and national oil and gas companies in 45 countries globally.

Nigeria is Africa鶹ýӳs largest oil producer and employs around 12.5% of the region鶹ýӳs labour pool. OPITO, whose safety training standards are recognised as the best in the world with more than 250 000 people taking them every year, was approached by the Nigerian government, prominent oil and gas producers as well as in-country training providers looking to improve the skills of local workers and develop the technical competence required to carry out their roles safely.

OPITO鶹ýӳs Group Chief Executive David Doig said: 鶹ýӳThere is an increasing awareness in Nigeria of the value in ensuring the competency of the offshore workforce and the benefits of improving the levels of safety for each individual.

鶹ýӳAt the event, we discussed the importance of standardising training across the oil and gas sector in Nigeria, as well as hearing how employing a successful OPITO-approved competency management system has helped to maintain and improve workforce skills, drive efficiencies and deliver cost benefits across a business while making a positive contribution to the local economy.

鶹ýӳThere are currently three of Nigeria鶹ýӳs training providers approved to deliver OPITO鶹ýӳs standards. Seven other companies signed up for the workshop showing that there is a real commitment for change in the country to adopt OPITO standards.

鶹ýӳThis interest coupled with that of the government and international firms operating in the region sees Nigeria鶹ýӳs oil and gas industry ready for a new era in safety and competency.鶹ýӳ

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